DANCING queen Kristina Rihanoff proves that everyone can get in step.

If TV’s Strictly Come Dancing has taught us one thing, it’s that anyone can learn to dance. Two left feet or not, if the celebrities can do it, then so can we. When Russian pro Kristina Rihanoff brought her sparkle to the dance floor in 2008, she transformed the likes of Jason Donovan, Simon Webbe and future boyfriend Ben Cohen into stars of salsa, waltz and ballroom. After eight years of glitz and glam on screen, she hung up her dancing shoes – but not for long.

At 39, the Russian-born professional ballroom dancer, instructor and choreographer has spent her life in the top tier of the world’s most talented dancers. Like many active careers, retirement came calling as she reached her early thirties and a star-studded spot on America’s Dancing With The Stars winter tour was waiting, followed closely by BBC’s Strictly, which transformed the dancer into the celebrity we know and love.

“My experience on Strictly made me think that it’d be really lovely to teach other people, too,” says Kristina. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner. Everyone can learn. Strictly made that dream a reality for so many people.”

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If Kristina can teach John Sergeant the paso doble, let’s face it, we’re all in with a chance. Now she’s set aside celebrity dancing partners to make way for a brand-new service on her website, bespokeballroom.com. Summer is coming and the wedding season awaits. That first dance won’t lead itself, so Kristina is offering to choreograph the moves to the favourite tunes of those planning their wedding.

“So many brides-to-be got in touch with me about their first dance, I had to create a whole web page just for weddings,” she exclaims. “It’s their special day and they want to get it right. I feel blessed that they trust me, want me to invest in their dance and make their first dance a memory to treasure.”

From her professional dance studio in London, Kristina becomes a personal wedding dance teacher, helping people find their feet in three lessons as she creates a first wedding dance to make their guests’ jaws drop.

“I love to work on a gorgeous waltz or foxtrot, and salsa is also a perfect start for beginners.”

Kristina Rihanoff in pictures

Mon, January 23, 2017

Strictly Come Dancing star Kristina Rihanoff in pictures.

According to Kristina, we Brits are stepping away from the traditional dance and into modern territory. “Contemporary dance is so popular thanks to Ed Sheeran and his song Thinking Out Loud,” she tells us. “Some brides even go to the effort of changing their dress for the dance. Anything goes.”

Kristina’s proudest moment was working with Heat magazine’s Lucie Cave on her show-stopping number with her fiancé Ben. “Lucie and Ben wanted a faster dance so we worked on a salsa to Love Is In The Air. A lot of couples are scared of a fast dance – they were so brave.”

Despite all this wedding talk, Kristina hasn’t planned her own first dance yet. The star met her dance partner, former rugby player Ben Cohen 38, in the 2013 Strictly series. And found love after stepping off-screen in 2015, soonsettling into family life. The proposal might not be on the cards for now, but a girl can dream, can’t she?

“My perfect wedding would be to just have my loved ones next to me,” she muses. “It doesn’t matter where it is or what we do, but if I had to choose it’d be at a lovely hotel, somewhere small and romantic.”

In the meantime, she has plenty of work on her plate, piecing together a UK tour and making moves in the West End world. “If I have a goal in my mind, nothing will stop me achieving it. I had a long-time ambition to have a theatre show, now it feels like it’s all going forwards.”

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Kristina with her partner Ben Cohen

It’s not all work, though. Kristina enjoys hours of playtime with her daughter Milena, otherwise known as Mila. She and Ben welcomed their little one into the world in June and their lives changed forever.

“It’s totally changed for the better,” she comments on motherhood. “As a competitive dancer, I was in a self-absorbed bubble. I worshipped dance and there was nothing more important. Now I worship my child. It’s an overwhelming love I can’t put into words.”

Kristina spends her life on the go, working all hours in the dance studio, perfecting her nutrition, travelling to performance venues and costume fittings. So the idea of swapping her sparkles for a smiling baby was another challenge she was thrilled to tackle.

“I had a baby at 38, not 20, so I have nothing to compare it to. What I can say is it was the right time for me. I have no regrets,” she smiles. “I got my degree and competitive dancing years out of the way. Now I can relax and spend time at home with my family.”

Kristina may have found her dancing feet as a youngster, but there’s no pressure for Milena to follow in her footsteps. Kristina tested the water in theatre and music school before finding her passion for dance and she wants to give Milena every choice she can. “I’ve loved dancing since I was a little girl, but if Mila likes something else, that’s fine.”

As her baby daughter grows, Kristina is keen to keep dancing and tone up for summer. Like any mum, it took time to get back into shape and it’s no easy task. Just six months after giving birth to Milena, she starred alongside TOWIE’s Megan McKenna and fellow dancer Gleb Savchenko in the one-day West End stage show One More Dance.

“I had to squeeze myself into a tiny little outfit,” she recalls. “I’m never going to be the same shape as I was on Strictly. I was dancing for eight hours a day. That’s not possible now. I wouldn’t want to do it, either. It’s very easy to get down about it, but I’m a mum now. I must accept that I am different.”

Between crafting dream first dances and attending regular yoga classes, Kristina helps active mums by posting her own “baby nap” Instagram videos. As soon as your baby hits the pillow, the idea is to start the stopwatch – it’s time for a workout against the clock.

“Those 30-minute naps are the perfect time for you to workout,” she laughs. “I do HIIT training, and I do it hard. It’s got to be done before Mila wakes up.”

It sounds like Kristina has motherhood all sewn up – she’s even found time to sign up for yoga teacher training and, wherever possible, she hangs out with her friends. “Yoga gives me time to focus on myself. As crazy as it sounds, it’s my downtime. I also like to hang out with my friends at my favourite restaurant, but it’s rare these days. Now it’s all about the baby.”

Luckily, there’s a friend on hand that knows the deal: fellow Strictly professional Anton Du Beke. “Anton understands – he has twins.

I thought one baby was trouble – imagine two!,” she says.

It might be a few years since Kristina was last in Strictly, but there’s plenty to keep her busy. “Life without the show has been a very different challenge. It’s full on. I have the same busy schedule, just without so much glitter!”

Her UK tour is under wraps, but it’s safe to say there will be a few familiar faces from the Strictly crew to keep us on our toes. And what about those X Factor rumours? Is Kristina tipped to make the moves on the ITV talent show?

“I don’t know where this comes from,” she laughs. “If they want me, I’ll do it. The X Factor would be very different to Strictly – less glitter but a few more fireworks. Whatever happens, I’ve got my creative juices flowing. It’s very exciting.”

For more information about Kristina’s wedding service and first dance choreography, visit bespokeballroom.com and click on the link marked weddings at the top of the page.